One day last week, SEIU staffer Crystal Martzall training new volunteers Thora McClain and Maxine Nehmer in phone bank

HCWI member Thora McClain makes phone calls out of our Madison office to help get out the vote for June 5th.

technique. She urged them, “Be yourself, use your own words, and talk the way you normally talk.”

Although many people might feel a little uncomfortable talking to strangers on the phone about possibly controversial subjects, Maxine Nehmer said it didn’t bother her at all: “I’m doing this because it’s so important to get Scott Walker out of there. He’s done so much damage to our state. It’s not only the collective bargaining issue; it’s the school cuts, healthcare cuts. People are being hurt all over Wisconsin. That’s why I’m volunteering at the phone bank.”

Thora McClain said, “We need to get every member out to vote. That’s why these phone calls are so important.”

SEIU phone banks will be operating in Madison and Milwaukee every day between now and the recall election on June 5.

We need every member to step up and help out in this vital task. If you’d like to volunteer, sign up on our website or contact the nearest SEIU office:

• Madison: (608) 277-1199 or (888) 285-1199
• Milwaukee: (414) 455-3840 or (877) 306-1199
• LaCrosse: (608) 787-8835 or (877) 787-8835

Today, because of the healthcare law, women have more freedom and control over their own healthcare choices. In 2011, 20.4 million women with private health insurance gained expanded preventive services with no cost sharing – including mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, prenatal care, flu and pneumonia shots, and regular well-baby and well-child visits. Young adults can now stay on their parents’ health insurance until they turn 26 years old, so an additional 1.1 million women of that age have health insurance. Additionally, 24.7 million women enrolled in Medicare have received preventive services without cost-sharing – including an annual wellness visit, a personalized prevention plan, mammograms, and bone mass measurement for women at risk of osteoporosis.

Young adults can now stay on their parents’ health insurance until they turn 26 years old, so an additional 1.1 million women of that age have health insurance. Additionally, 24.7 million women enrolled in Medicare received preventive services without cost-sharing – including an annual wellness visit, a personalized prevention plan, mammograms, and bone mass measurement for women at risk of osteoporosis.

The full benefits of the healthcare law are being phased in over the next several years. This August, women will be able to access additional preventive services with no cost-sharing including well-woman visits, screening for gestational diabetes, domestic violence screening, breastfeeding supplies and contraceptive services.

Extremist Republicans, like the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Governor Scott Walker in my own state of Wisconsin, talk about repealing the Affordable Care Act. Maybe they’re forgetting the facts about how hard it was for women to get care before the healthcare law was put into place?

Before Obamacare, women’s health was in the hands of the insurance industry and they were charged more for insurance just because of their gender, C-sections and being a victim of domestic violence were considered pre-existing conditions. Only 13% of health plans in the individual market include maternity care and insurance companies limited care or dropped care when it was needed most.

For those who would continue to play politics with healthcare, or seek to take away the benefits of the law, we would ask them to reflect on the importance of the health of the women in their lives. During Women’s Health Week this year, celebrate by making an appointment for a checkup and educating others about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.

» Some resources to help you get started here and here.

» Follow the conversation on Twitter about Women’s Health Week via hashtag #NWHW .

» This Women’s Health Week, take charge of knowing what’s happening with women’s health and the upcoming Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act by signing up for SEIU’s healthcare breaking text alerts.

Governor Walker is planning on touring the King VA Center on 5/20. Let’s show him that our Veterans don’t support his extreme policies.

Anyone wearing an AFSCME shirt or their own Union Pride shirt will receive a free picnic lunch. There will be a small fee for all others. We hope you’ll join your Union Brothers and Sisters to show Governor Walker we are not going anywhere and that we are still standing strong

Scott Walker has made Wisconsin a state that shows up in national news headlines, but not for the right reasons. You already know that our children need better schools and smaller class sizes, despite the massive cuts Scott Walker and his cronies have made to the education budget. You already know that our families need quality, affordable healthcare, even though Walker approved cuts to BadgerCare that will mean 17,000 of us won’t have healthcare on July 1. And you definitely already know that we need jobs, and an economy where it’s possible to actually make ends meet and get ahead. Under Walker, Wisconsin has seen one of the highest job loss rates in the country.

On May 19th, SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin is joining with Rebuild the Dream,  the League of Pissed Off Voters, We Are Milwaukee, Wisconsin Jobs Now, and Citizen Action Wisconsin to build momentum to recall Scott Walker and rebuild our state, program by program, budget cut by budget cut. We imagine our home as a place where you’re not one hospital visit away from losing everything, where our children can get a quality education at the local school, and where politicians work for us, not for special interests.

May 19th is about more than just the recall. It’s about rebuilding with everyone, and moving forward to create the new economy that includes 99% of Americans, not the 1%. We’re going to recall Walker, refund everything he cut, and rebuild Wisconsin. But we need you to join us, and bring some friends, because it’s going to take each and everyone one of us to recall, rebuild, and rebuild our dreams.

We invite you to join us on Saturday for our Recall Walker Unity Walks. Join us at 10, 12, 2, or 4 pm to get out and talk to voters here in Milwaukee. (We’ll also be walking Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.)

• Brown Deer Office 6918 W. Brown Deer Road, Milwaukee, WI 53223     Contact: Matt Keating (414) 301-1288; matt@wearewisconsin.org
• National Ave Office 701 National Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53204     Contact: Jacquie Ray (414) 530-0097; jacquie@wearewisconsin.org
• West Allis Office 8431 W Cleveland Avenue West Allis, WI 53227 Contact: Nils Robbins (414) 469-5085; nils@wearewisconsin.org
• 35th and St. Paul Office (AFSCME Council 48) 3428 W. St. Paul Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53208 Contact: Nicole Collazo-Santiago (414) 640-4147; ncoll-san@wiafscme.org
• Office 2510 East Capitol Drive; Shorewood, WI 53211 Contact: Laura Gilpatrick (414) 215-9972; laura@wearewisconsin.org

Join us tonight as we come together in solidarity for a Unity March in Madison:

Unity March and Day of Action

Wednesday, May 9, 6:00 PM

6:00 pm- Meet on Library Mall (between Memorial Library and the University Bookstore at the base of State Street)

6:15 pm- 6:30 pm – Speaking Program & Solidarity Singers

6:30 pm- Start march up State Street towards the Capitol

6:50 pm- Speaking program at Pedestrian Park outside of the Veterans Museum Madison, WI Click here to RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/360715860642814/

Please give a few hours of your time this weekend to contact your fellow SEIU members and make sure they get out and vote Tuesday.

All staging locations will be running the following shifts during primary GOTV

• Saturday, May 5th – 9am to Noon; Noon to 3pm; 3pm to 6pm; 5pm to 8pm

• Sunday, May 6th – Noon to 3pm; 3pm to 6pm; 5pm to 8pm

• Monday, May 7th – 9am to Noon; Noon to 3pm; 3pm to 6pm; 5pm to 8pm

• Tuesday, May 8th – 9am to Noon; Noon to 3pm; 3pm to 6pm; 5pm to 8pm

Staging Locations

Milwaukee-area

• Milwaukee Area Labor Council – 633 S. Hawley Road, Milwaukee, WI 53214

• WI for Falk Office – 8431 W. Cleveland Avenue, West Allis, WI 53227

• WI for Falk Office – 701 W. National Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53204

• WI for Falk Office – 6918 W. Brown Deer Road, Milwaukee, WI 53223

• WI for Falk Office – 2510 East Capitol Drive, Shorewood, WI 53211

Madison-area

• Madison Labor Temple – 1602 S. Park Street, Madison, WI 53715

• WI for Falk Staging Area – Liberty Park Pavilion – Mount Horeb, WI

• WI for Falk Office – 1571 Ivory Drive, Sun Prairie, W 53590

• WI for Falk Office – 412 S. Baldwin Street, Madison, WI 53703

• WI for Falk Office – 122 State Street, 5th Floor, Madison, WI 53703

• WI for Falk Office/AFT-WI – 6602 Normandy Lane, Madison, WI 53719

Northeast WI/Fox Valley

• WI for Falk Office – 325 Towbridge Drive, Fond du Lac, WI 54937

• WI for Falk Office – 1104 Wisconsin Avenue, Sheboygan, WI 54081

• WI for Falk Staging Area – 1124 Washington Street, Manitowoc, WI 54220

• Winnebago Labor Hall – 2211 Oregon Street, Oshkosh, WI 54902

• WI for Falk Office – 2256 Main Street, Green Bay, WI 54302

• WI for Falk Office – 614 W. College Avenue, Appleton, WI 54911

SD 13 & Waukesha

• WI for Falk & We Are WI Office – 916 Clinton Street, Waukesha, WI 53186

• WI for Falk & We Are WI Staging Area – 1015 Labaree Street, Watertown, WI 53098

SD 21/Racine

• Racine Labor Temple – 1840 Sycamore Avenue, Racine, WI 53406

SD 23/Eau Claire & Chippewa Falls

• Eau Claire WEAC Office – 2004 Highland Avenue, Eau Claire, WI 54701

• Eau Claire Labor Temple (member-to-member phones only) – 2233 Birch Street, Eau Claire, WI 54703

• WI for Falk Office – 1219 Menomonie Street, Eau Claire, WI 54703

• WI for Falk Office – 1 North Bridge Street, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729

Menomonie

• WI for Falk Office – 105 21st Street. N., Menomonie, WI 54751

La Crosse

• IAMAW District 66 – 1307 Market Street, La Crosse, WI 54601

SD 29/Wausau

• WI for Falk & We Are WI Office – 120 Clark Street, Wausau, WI 54401

North-Central WI

• WI for Falk Staging Area – 1901 W. River Street, Rhinelander, WI 54501

• WI for Falk Office – 1205 2nd Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481

Superior

• WI for Falk Staging Area – 916 Hammond Avenue, Superior, WI 54880